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Robin Hood: A half-assed attempt to breathe new life into an old story.

in Movies on 12/04/18 by Leanne Leave a Comment

Robin of Locksley, aka Robin Hood’s story dates back to the 1300’s and has been remade around 100 times. Seriously! From the silent films of the early 1900’s to the more recent Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe versions, we’ve seen it all. There was even a Canadian version set in space called Rocket Robin Hood. So if a studio ventures to reboot it yet again, they need to bring their “A” game. In the new Robin Hood staring Taron Egerton, the “A” stands for “anachronistic”. Sadly, this attempt to revive the story into a slick and edgy adventure, falls flat.

There were many reasons to believe this adaptation would be #winning. The trailer looks awesome and the production team includes Leonardo DiCaprio. I dig Leo and his risk taking artistic choices. Taron Egerton (Kingsman) as Robin is hot and Jamie Foxx (Ray) as always is cool. Even Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey) gets to show off his really big ears (this is not a euphemism, they look huge in this film).

It Takes More than Costumes

Directed by Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror), this current retelling of Robin Hood features many of the principal actors wearing leather coats they appear to have obtained at New York’s Fall Fashion Week.

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There is also a party scene in which the attendees may have been brought in from The Capital of Panem.

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What’s in a name?

Someone thought it would be badass if Marian called Robin Hood “Rob” throughout the film. It’s not. And while we are on the topic of Lady Marian, I appreciate that in this incarnation she is no longer a “damsel in distress” but a leader in her community, a revolutionary and far from helpless. However, Eve Hewson’s (The Knick) portrayal of Marian is inconsistent as her accent seems to migrate from English to Irish to American and back again.

Diversity Casting?

Nope. Failed again Hollywood! Adding three people of color in with the villagers of Nottingham does not qualify as diversity casting, even when they each have a few lines of dialogue.

So What’s Good?

There are some great action sequences but also some that look cheesy. This is a talented cast but they need better dialogue. There are moments that are meant to be powerful and inspiring that instead left me asking, “Who directed this mess?”

Use Your Whole Ass

It’s kind of a family joke. I tell my teenage children if they commit to something don’t do it half-assed, you need to use your whole ass. That’s some great parenting right there. Anyhow, as much as I enjoy intentionally anachronistic entertainment, some directors excel while others falter. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Hamilton is the best example. Is that bar too high? Even Brian Helgeland’s 2001 film A Knight’s Tale, which was pretty widely criticized, did it better than this wannabe fresh take on Robin Hood. If you want to update a franchise and increase it’s cool factor by using anachronistic elements, you can’t go half-assed.

But Wait, There’s More

Robin Hood ends with a set up for a sequel, which I will go out on a limb and say is never getting made. Even so, if you want more of the hood, you won’t have long to wait with six other Robin Hood related projects in the works. These include a Lady Marian focused movie staring Margo Robbie as well as films from Warner Brothers, Dream Works and Disney.

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Robin Hood is now playing in theaters. What is your favorite Robin Hood adaptation?

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About Leanne

Leanne is a wife, mother of 2 and stay at home writer. Her work has been featured at GirlBodyPride.com, The Huffington Post and My Wandering Uterus, an anthology of women's travel writing. She is currently avoiding writing a memoir of her summer as an exchange student. Follow her nowhere, because that would be stalking, as she does not tweet, blog or insta. She doesn’t even own a smartphone!

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